Hike and learn in Yellowstone National Park

If your boots were made for walking and your brain was made for learning, you might as well exercise both body and mind in the great outdoors this summer. At Yellowstone, the “Trails through Yellowstone” program provides participants with an enjoyable, and educational, immersion into America’s first national park.

The four-night, five-day “Lodging and Learning” program, organized by the nonprofit Yellowstone Assn. Institute in cooperation with concessioner Xanterra, will run every Monday through Friday from May 25 to Sept. 21, 2009. Your days will be spent hiking with an expert naturalist, who will lead you and the session group (maximum of 12 participants) through the park’s diverse terrain. You’ll get a chance to look for bears, bison, wolves and more on a sunrise wildlife-viewing expedition.

After long days on the trail, you’ll rest and recharge for two nights at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and two nights at Grant Village. You’ll also receive daily breakfast and lunch boxes, in-park transportation and free evening programs (optional) provided by Xanterra or the National Park Service.

Children ages 12 years and older are welcome.

Cost: The program costs $719 per person, based on double occupancy, and $976 per person based on single occupancy. These rates do not include tax.

Deal: Xanterra is presently offering a discount on the room portion of the package: If you book a spot on one of the first two tours (beginning May 25 or June 1), you can save 15% off the room component, which translates to about $74 per person off your package price.

Contact: Yellowstone Assn. Institute, (866) 439-7375

— Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo credit: Xanterra Parks & Resorts]

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2009 at 3:07 pm by Susan Derby and is filed under Deals, Eco-Travel, Family & Kids, National Parks, Outdoors & Adventure, Rocky Mountain States, Summer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.